It is always better to have a companion app with you when you go for strolls in the park. I liked this app because it provided me with everything I needed when walking for exercise. From walk maps to nutrition, almost everything is covered. Map My Walk ranked number one on our best pedometer apps for Android list as well. Its simple design and intuitive controls were impressive. For those of you who want a more integrated approach to your fitness, this app can interact with your walking gear. For example, you can add in your athletic shoes (preferable of a sports brand), and the app can start tracking the mileage, for the shoes. It will even inform you when you may need an upgrade.
To help track your exercise and progress, Map My Walk also provides you with deep details about your walks. If you want to know how many calories you have burned, this is the app that can do that for you. While there is a subscription plan available, the free app provides each and everything you need to know about your walks.
The Bad
There is not much to complain when it comes to Map My Walk. I’m not a huge fan of walking, but this app was stable during the walks I took a few months back. Sometimes the app miss-mapped my walks slightly but that is an acceptable error. The app can also make the device run a little hotter than I expected, I can’t pinpoint when or why that happened.
The Bottom Line
If you are in the market for a free walking app for Android, get this app without any worries. It provides exceptional services and is free. Everything you will need is kept free by the developers, and this is why I highly recommend this app. By paying for a subscription, you can remove the ads and gain a few more features as well.
Installation and Starting
The app comes in a handy package that will take only a few moments to download. It is not a tiny app file, so you can expect a few MBs of data usage while downloading it. The app can be installed directly from the Google Play Store, and nothing more is needed. After installation, you can launch the app via notification bar or app drawer. The app comes with a mandatory login, which I think is justified in this case. The app keeps track of a lot of things for you, so naturally an account is a must for viewing all the records. Some social features are also associated with the login, so I believe it’s better to make an account.
This free pedometer app for Android comes with a robust tutorial that is a blessing in disguise. The tutorial will ease you into the app by explaining all of the features one by one. I suggest you take a look at that tutorial at least once. If you want to jump right into the action, the app allows you to skip it as well.
Interface
When I first started the app, it took me straight to the start workout page. It was a little odd because I expected a typical main screen. But after using the app a few times during walks, I came to appreciate that one less step required to start a workout. Just like almost all the other workout apps for Android, this one also comes with a side menu. It can be accessed by pressing the three horizontal lines in the top left corner of the screen. The menu gives you quick access to the features of the app and is convenient. Map My Walk is one app that requires the services of a side menu, thanks to its robust feature list. You will need to scroll down the menu to see all the features residing on the app.
Features
The app comes with a standard workout logger. The app can record your walks automatically, so power walking is now quite easy. On the other hand, you can also log in your walk manually too. I appreciated the manual entry when I forgot my smartphone at work one day. Recognizing that walking is not the only way to keep healthy, they include a food log that can help you lose weight. I also recommend a dedicated weight loss app for Android to get better results. The food log feature used the internet and was sometimes quite slow.
This free Android walking app can help you keep track of the calories as well. While it’s not as amazing as some of the best calorie counters on Android, it is still very convenient.
The app comes with some social features that can help you get motivated. Add a few like-minded friends and you can challenge each other and give encouragement.
Usage
Using the app during walks is easy. Just tap on the “Start Workout” button, and the app will take care of the rest. You don’t even have to take the phone out during the walk. There are a lot of challenges that will help you work harder for those exciting goals. Over all, the app is great to use and not intrusive. I don’t fancy apps that show instructions to you when you are running or walking, so this app is a perfect companion for me.
Permissions
The app can access your contacts. I think this permission is used when you add friends to the app. It can also access your accounts. The app needs that access to keep you logged in your account for record tracking.
Conclusion
By now you are aware that this app has really left a mark on me. I’m usually not easily impressed, but this app certainly has a lot going on for it. What app do you use for walking? Is it to track your progress toward a goal? There are some other great apps for running on Android but I’m strictly asking about walking. If you have any questions or problems regarding Map My Walk, please sound off in the comments below. Featured Image Credit
